1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a heater tape assembly.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heater wire for heating an object to be heated, e.g., an antenna reflector, may be attached in a desired pattern to a relatively large sheet of thermally conductive foil using an adhesive. The foil is typically cut to a desired shape and the heater wire is laid in a serpentine or other desired pattern on the foil. An adhesive on one side of the foil holds the heater wire in place and also attaches the foil to an object to be heated. Such an assembly requires that the foil be precut to the shape of the area to which the foil is to be applied on the object to be heated. Typically, different foils with different shapes are required to be used with different objects to be heated. This therefore in turn requires that a relatively large inventory of foils with different shapes be maintained.
What is needed in the art is a heater assembly which allows a user to apply a heater wire to an object to be heated with virtually any desired pattern and without precutting the heater assembly.